resided during a period of eight years. Having in that time seen so much of the hand of the Lord in preventing me from going into ruin, as it regards temporal things, and giving me to see his arm made bare in so glorious a manner for the extension of his kingdom, I, with gratitude, say, 'Ilitherto the Lord hath helped me.' And now I will render him praise, and endeavour, through his grace, to trust him; and I make the resolution of Joshua: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' In August, 1799, the Lord was pleased to give us a son, who only lived about eight months; and the Lover of little children took him to himself. It was a sore trial to be deprived of our first-born." The preceding account is all that Mr. Marris had written in the document which he left. This is a matter of regret; as it is evident that he designed to extend it to the time at which he wrote, which would have brought it down to a short period prior to his death. I have no other written document relating to this excellent man, except a few pious and devout breathings recorded in his private stock-book, which I shall subsequently introduce, as they will complete that portrait, the lines of which are strongly marked in the preceding extracts. From the time of Mr. Marris's marriage in 1797, till his removal to Roundhay, near Leeds, in May, 1833, was a period of thirty-six years. I regret that I possess no means by which to illustrate his personal history, and indicate his growth in grace, during this time. I can only state generally, that, while in Manchester, his attachment to the Methodist society was unwavering; his personal piety was indisputable; and he filled, in a manner highly honourable to himself, and satisfactory to the church, the various offices of Class-Leader, CircuitSteward, Trustee, &c. On the formation of the Auxiliary Wesleyan Missionary Society for the Manchester District, he was appointed Treasurer; in which highly-honourable and deeply-responsible office he continued till his removal to Roundhay. The following general testimony, in reference to Mr. Marris, given by James Wood, Esq., of Manchester, in a letter to the writer, is highly honourable to his memory:- "He was indeed a truly good man, in the best and noblest sense of the word. As a Christian, he was uniformly consistent. What he was one day, that he was every day throughout the year. I can bear this testimony to his character, and that for more than forty years. As a commercial man, he was in the highest degree honourable. He was truly benevolent, and his benevolence was as truly unobtrusive: he never made a parade of his charities; for, generally speaking, he gave in secret; and there are not a few in this town whose wants he often relieved, and who now have to deplore his loss. He had, indeed, his troubles, and some of them of no light kind; but, by God's blessing, they were overruled to his spiritual profit and eternal advantage." The following extracts are taken from the private stock-book of Mr. Marris, and strikingly indicate his habitual spirituality of mind: "1820. January 1st. Hitherto hath the Lord helped me.-1821. January 1st. O my God, may I never forget that thou art the donor of all that I enjoy!-1822. January 1st. How do thy mercies, O my God, close me round! Give me a grateful heart, and keep me humble.— 1823. January 1st. A time of close trial, unkindness, unfaithfulness, and ingratitude from those I supposed friends. I have still a promise which cannot fail: All things shall work together for good to them that love God.' Lord, I have been unfaithful; but do I not love thee? Yes, I do. O keep me in this time of trial!—1824. January 1st. O my God, I consider myself but a steward of what I possess ! Make me a wise steward; and if thou see good to increase me in riches, keep my heart from being set upon them; and let me never have the curse of those whose hands are closed to thy poor, and to thy cause in general.-1826. June 24th. A year of great losses in trade. Perhaps I have been too much attached to earthly good. Suffer me not, my Lord, to be criminally attached to anything here, but always to say, 1827. June 24th. < All my treasure is above: How do thy mercies close me round! A year of prosperity. All my blessings, O my God, come from thee: thou shalt have all the praise.-1828. June. Lord, I am thine: save me.-1829. June 24th. O my God, let me never lose sight of the Giver in the gift!-1830. June 24th. Although this has been a year of increase in worldly property, it has also been a year of much trial and exercise. Thank God, I feel power to forgive them who have caused it. May I be assisted to improve, and to say feelingly, 1831. June 24th. For all I bless thee: most for the severe !' When all thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys, Why, my cold heart, art thou not lost 1832. June 24th. Never let the world break in ; 1833. June 24th. I removed my residence to this place (Roundhay) in May last; and, in so doing, I am persuaded I am in my providential The way. It is everything I can wish temporally. The Lord is alsó increasing my substance; but may I never forget that I am his steward: : may I be a faithful one! This is not our rest. The best of all is, the Lord is with us.-1834. June 24th. I feel thankful that, this year, I have been privileged to render assistance in this place to build a house for God. Of thine own have I given thee, O my Lord! glory of the latter house shall be greater than that of the former, saith the Lord of hosts and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.'-1835. June. This has been a year of increase in worldly substance; and perhaps the Lord saw there was danger that creatures and created good would draw my heart from him. He has seen good to touch me in a very tender part: he has taken away my son, my only child. Lord, give me grace to bear this very heavy trial with Christian resignation; and may it be sanctified!-1836. June 30th. Deep calleth unto deep, at the noise of thy water-spouts. All thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.' Last year, my son, my only child, was taken from me; this year, my wife, my dearest earthly treasure. I have been ready to think, the Lord deals hardly with me ; but let him speak for himself: Have I been so good as to lend thee this dear earthly treasure thirty-eight years; and now, if I see it right to take her to myself, why complain? rather get fully ready to come to her.' 'I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it.' (Psalm xxxix. 9.)-1837. June 30th. This has been a year of great exercise and trouble to those engaged in commercial affairs. How well to have our treasure in heaven! How insignificant then do all earthly things appear! I look back upon my two last years, and sometimes weep, when I think what my loss has been in my dear wife. This my Lord allows; for 'Jesus wept.' Such are the brief, but truly devout, records of Christian feeling and elevated piety which were found in his private stock-book after his death. They were obviously never designed by Mr. Marris for public inspection, but simply for his own edification. The true worth of all such private memorials of devotional feeling is to be estimated by the evidence they indicate of having been originally designed exclusively for private and personal purposes. The very moment a single sentence is recorded in such private documents, designedly for public inspection, the writer comes into a dangerous position, which may very materially interfere with that godly sincerity which gives to such papers their principal value. He who thus writes to be seen of men may easily write as if he were acting a part before them: and what is this but a species of hypocrisy ? During the month of April, 1838, Mr. Marris's health appeared to be in so satisfactory a state, as to afford presumptive evidence that his life would be prolonged for several years; and he was led to visit his friends at Manchester, Huddersfield, &c. ; and returned to Roundhay highly delighted with what ultimately proved to be his final visit. The day after his return from Huddersfield, he was as lively and cheerful as usual, and was actively engaged in Leeds. On his return that evening to his delightful residence at Roundhay, he stood for a few moments in his grounds, giving directions to his gardener; and on his return into his house, expressed his apprehension to his niece, Miss Marris, that he had taken cold. The event showed the truth of his apprehension. That evening he took some medicine; but during the night he became worse. The next morning medical aid was obtained; but, notwithstanding the skill and assiduous attention of his medical friends, it was found that he was labouring under a very sudden and severe attack of inflammation of the liver, accompanied with pleurisy, which baffled the most judicious efforts that were employed; so that, after an illness of eleven days, on the 15th of May, 1838, in the seventieth year of his age, and in the fifty-first year of his union with the Methodist society, this truly excellent man quietly fell asleep in Jesus, and entered into the joy of his Lord. In consequence of the severity of the complaints which terminated in death, Mr. Marris was seldom able to converse with his friends; but at those intervals when his pain was abated, he had frequent intercourse with his intimate friends, Messrs. John and Joshua Burton, of Roundhay, to whom he invariably expressed himself in terms of Christian resignation, unwavering confidence, and undisturbed tranquillity. The Rev. Robert Newton, who had known him intimately for more than thirty years, likewise had interviews with him, and found him joyful and triumphant. It was also my privilege (for such I found it) repeatedly to visit this dying saint; and to me he expressed himself in terms of undoubted and truly elevated piety. At one of those seasons, when he could scarcely articulate, having heard me say that I was on my way to Garforth Missionary Meeting, after a brief, but gratifying and final, interview, he with difficulty signified his wish to Miss Marris, that she should give me a sovereign to put into the collection for him; thus proving, that, notwithstanding his previous pecuniary contributions, and liberal bequest, to which I shall subsequently advert, even when he was rapidly approaching the valley of the shadow of death, he was fully alive to the salvation of the Heathen, and to the necessity of continuous pecuniary supplies, in order to accomplish that important object. Though my personal acquaintance with Mr. Marris was confined to the last three years of his life, yet, from personal observation, from the uniform testimony of others, and from his own brief, but truly devotional, memorials, distinguished by simplicity and sincerity, I feel justified in affirming, that the following were the most prominent features in his character : 1. A fixed and unwavering attachment to that religious body with which it was his happiness to be united in Christian fellowship for the long space of nearly fifty-one years. During this period, there must have been, there actually were, circumstances, either of a local or general character, which induced some of his friends to separate from their brethren ; but, so far as I have been able to ascertain, the uniform principle under which Mr. Marris acted was, "This people shall be my people, and their God my God." However plausible might be those representations which frequently originate in wilful ignorance, and are sometimes. promulgated with only too deliberate malignity, Mr. Marris would not allow his mind to be warped, or his confidence to be diminished. This fixedness in his religious attachments did not originate in his inability or unwillingness to exercise his private judgment, or in a tendency to rest in a blind and implicit confidence in the decisions of others. He thought for himself, and acted according to the dictates of a tender and enlightened conscience. Though his preference was decided in favour of Wesleyan Methodism, yet he was as far removed from bigotry as from latitudinarianism. He rejoiced to meet with Ministers of all denominations who gave evidence of their love to Christ, and of their anxiety to save souls. He embraced every opportunity which offered of attending the service in the established Church, without neglecting that ministry to which, from his heart, he gave the preference. He, however, justly discriminated between the principles of Protestantism, and the opinions and proceedings of men who, though within the pale of the Protestant Church, sympathize with the spirit, and imitate the intolerance, of the Church of Rome. 2. His moral principles were very deeply fixed; and they were of a very high and elevated character. With Mr. Marris there was no compromise of those principles, after they had taken proper hold of his understanding and his heart. He never exercised his ingenuity to discover reasons to palliate actions of which his conscience could not approve. The early operation of those principles must be ascribed, under the divine blessing, to the pious instructions, the consistent example, and the fervent prayers, of his excellent mother; for whose memory he cherished through life the deepest veneration. It was the influence of these principles which led him to refuse to obey his employer in the case of the article which he would not recommend, and in the case of taking stock on the Sabbath-day. The favour which he subsequently found with his employer demonstrates the absence of everything from his behaviour savouring of impertinence and obstinacy. His refusal to obey was conscientious, the result of deep and fixed conviction; not the effect of passion, but the evidence of piety, in conformity with the apostolic precept: "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." (2 Tim. ii. 25.) 3. He was distinguished by true decision of character. A profound and popular writer observes, that "one advantage of this character is, that it exempts from a great deal of interference and persecution to which an irresolute man is subjected. Weakness, in every form, |